Current Applications of Hydrogels
Smart Pills: A hydrogel structure was recently constructed by Dr. Punjab Nagar and a team of researchers at the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER) which has the ability to rearrange its structure based on changes in environmental pH. Such an innovation will have numerous opportunities for oral drug release and pills as the pH of the stomach would be an optimal place to apply this property of the hydrogel as a form of high tech, time-release pills. This would allow drugs to remain active in the body longer and be more potent at optimal concentrations to perform their job.
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| [4] "Smart" time release pills |
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| [6] (Cells adhered to hydrogel scaffold) |
Wound-Healing: A heparin-based hydrogel sheet was created by scientists at the School of Science and Engineering, Gwangiu Institute of Science and Technology that was loaded with a protein called a growth factor (hEGF). This protein stimulates skin cells to replicate, but only at certain concentrations that are not always ideal. The problem with putting growth factors in the body is that it takes a large concentration of these factors initiate a desired response and this can sometimes cause side effects. This team has gone around this problem by loading their hydrogel with a predetermined amount of the growth factor that will release constantly thanks to its nano-scale structure. when the team formed this hydrogel into a bandage and applied it to a wound on a mouse, the wound closure accelerated, tissue formation increased, and more capillaries were produced as compared to a control group. This indicates that the wound healed significantly faster than if it were left untreated, which could be a big improvement from just slapping some Neosporin on your next cut.
Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering: A collagen-chitosan-laminin hydrogel was developed by researcher Dr. McEwan and his team that is designed to implant beta pancreatic cells into the patients with type 1 diabetes. This incredible break-through works by encapsulating the cells into the patent's body where the beta cells are chemically instructed to set up shop and start dividing. This break-through is only possible through the hydrogel's "sticky" properties that hold on to the cells and it biocompatibility. Such a medical marvel could have real life applications in changing the way we currently treat diabetes.
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| [5] (tissue scaffold of cultured skin cells) |
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